Floral Kingdom

These days I am appreciating with great delight, the gorgeous flowers I have in the garden.

It is especially divine to see the variety of birds, butterflies, rabbits, chipmunks and other

creatures bask in this kingdom of such exquisite beauty.

I am truly a blessed being!

Wildly wonderful!

This morning I sat out on the deck to sip my coffee and soak in the beauty of the surroundings and it occurred to me that I truly lived in a magnificent place.

Green woods, colourful wildflowers and melodic birdsong surround me.

This view and these moments of timelessness is what I crave whenever I feel restless.

It is good to know, that all I have to do is saturate myself with nature, to feel inspired again

I affirm

I affirm new ideas are coming to me.

I affirm my well being and my allowance of it.

I affirm I am open to new ways of doing things.

I affirm I am rendezvousing with like minded people more and more.

I affirm joyous news is on its way to me.

I affirm exciting new adventures are on the verge.

I affirm my alignment with Source.

I affirm the most amazing day ever!

I affirm that all is well and getting better in each and every moment.

I affirm my abundance of all things that is beneficial to me.

I affirm my clarity in all things.

I affirm that life is good!

How I saved myself

I am so glad for the teaching of Abraham-Hicks, as they really save my soul.

Some folks medicate with legal drugs, illegal drugs, food, shopping, or other forms of escape.

I use these teachings to stay connected to who I am.

It's hard work.

Yesterday, something happened that wrenched me right out of the vortex.

It was as if I was caught in an undertow. I couldn't even breathe.

So I called up my Lifeline: What do I want and how do I want to feel?

The first answer was: I'd like to shoot you, so that I could feel good.

The second answer was: I'd like you to be kinder to others, so that I could feel good about you.

The third answer was: I'd like you to love yourself so that I can feel that love from you.

The fourth answer was: I'd like to feel good because feeling good is who I am.

Bingo!

So I went away and did some cross-stitch, called a friend, watched SNL and baked some loaves of bread.

Then I went to bed feeling very appreciative about my wellbeing. (Another process for another time)

This morning I asked myself the Lifeline questions again plus I did an exercise on Positive Aspecting:

I want to feel good. I want to feel good because it feels good to feel good.

What can I do to feel good now? I can stop thinking about how mean you are.

Nope, that thought does not feel good, so What Do I Want? To feel good.

Why do I want it? So that I can enjoy myself again.

What are my positive aspects?

I really love how I am able to instantly disengage myself from negative conversations with no discomfort or apologies whatsoever.

I like knowing that I am becoming more and more discerning about what feels good to me.

I spend a lot of time doing the things I adore - cooking, gardening,reading, crafting, traveling because they all feel good to me.

Now that I am really and truly feeling my connection with who I am, I can now look for and find the positive aspects of the other person:

I love to see and hear about the wonderful times you create for others.

I love how cooperative you are when you have unexpected visitors.

You are the best gardener I know.

You tell the best jokes I've ever heard.

You can get a meal ready from scratch in less than thirty minutes.

You are very energetic and independent.

You are fun to be around when you are happy.

It took me twenty four hours to bring myself to a better feeling place, but I did it.

Vibrational work is not easy, but it is worth every single iota of effort.

Headquarters

Today I stayed in bed all day! I mean I got out to eat, but basically I conducted my business of the day from this HQ.

It was awesome too! I was inspired to write, call people, email, search for homes and update my reading lists.

It taught me that good is good and that if it feels good it is good!

Feeling good is the path to my joy, my alignment and ultimately success in all things.

Now that the sun is shinning and the skies are looking blue again, I will take a shower and move my HQ to the deck.

The 4 Things Meme

Four Books I loved:

1. A Room with a View
2. East of Eden
3. To Kill A Mockingbird
4. My Antonia

Four books I would recommend:

1. A Reliable Wife - Robert Goolrick

2. As We Are Now - May Sarton

3. Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese

4. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Four Places (other than MA) I Have Lived:

1. Trinidad
2. Houston
3. Fair Oaks, California
4. Soon to be Fairfield, California.

Four Places I would rather be right now:

1. Acadia National Park
2. California
3. Western Canada.
4. Kauai.

Four of My Favorite Foods:

1. Sushi
2. Pad Thai
3. Southern Barbecue.
4. Bake and Kingfish from Maracas Bay with all the fixings.

Four of My Favorite Drinks:

1. Pellegrino with Angostura Bitters.
2. Harrogate, Yorkshire Tea
3. Merlot especially Silver Oaks 2005
4. Freshly ground coffee

Four Places I Would Rather Be With a Book:

1. Hammock on my deck.
2. Half Dome.
3. Lido Deck on a cruise ship.
4. Armchair in my bedroom.

Four Things That Are Very Special in My Life

1. My Wellbeing
2. My relationships
3. Road trips
4. My hobbies.

Four People I hope will do this Meme:

1.You

2. Your friends.

3. Their friends.

4. Friends of friends :)

Living in the moment.

I truly lived in the moment on our recent two week road trip to the southern states.
I was surprised at how exhilarating the entire experience felt. The scenic drives on quiet roads were a huge blessing. The expansive, rolling hills were glorious to see. Who knew the Gulf Coast Beaches were so pristine and beautiful? What about those live living-rooms in Historic Savannah?
Every mile brought a different view. Every person had a different perspective. Every town had some cuisine or site they were famous for. It felt wonderful to have people return smiles and greetings where ever I went.

I realize it's not difficult to live in the moment- all that's required is a deliberate intent to relax, go with the flow and to expect to have a series of enjoyable moments. When strung together, each of those moments added up to two weeks of sheer bliss and that's really how I want my whole life to be.

Skyline Drive

We made our way leisurely through 105 miles of this drive - Front Royal to

Waynesboro. It was refreshing to look out and see miles of rolling green pastures.

Spring is such a beautiful sight and smell!

It feels great to be part of this renewal.

Road trip to Winchester, VA

We traveled from MA to CT to NY to NJ to PA to West VA and VA. A total of 470 miles in eight hours. Wow! The drive was quite pleasant and uneventful. We had no traffic as expected on a Sunday. I enjoyed the rest stops for coffee and tea breaks.

I did try to get photos of the rolling hills in PA.

We are staying the night at the George Washington, which is lovely, quaint and quiet.

Best of all, we had the pool all to ourselves this evening.

We walked through the Loudoun Street Mall for window shopping which was very pleasant.

It's been a long time since I actually did any type of window shopping on the street, like that.

We ate at Thai Winchester which was quite busy for a Sunday night. The Drunken Noodle was particularly good!

I'm now relaxing in our room, checking email, skyping with friends.

Looking forward to Skyline Drive tomorrow!

This made my day!

My 21 year old niece emailed me this photo of a page in a journal she wrote for school when she was 8 years old.

I am touched by her thoughtfulness then and now; then to have wrote it and now to discover it and send it to me.

Thank you Liz! I am posting it here as one of my many touchstones of who you are; Source Energy in a physical body.

Appreciation for my friends & family.

I would like to acknowledge a number of people who made my recent trip to Trinidad memorable. Each of them took time out to nurture the relationship and I am most appreciative of their efforts:

Arshad thank you for graciously hosting me for a week in very comfortable accommodations. I enjoyed having the freedom to make myself at home and to visit with our father as well. I especially enjoyed the sno cone you and Amanda thoughtfully bought me in my absence. Thank goodness for freezers!

Glad you introduced me to Angostura Single Barrel Reserve. We are enjoying our gifts.

Amanda, so glad you came over to spend a night. I hope you enjoyed our impromptu tea party as much as I did. Your Dad did a great job of buying all those wonderful pastries and cakes.

Wasn’t the Saturday Nite Bingo the best fun? Thanks to Wendy for joining in. We really played for the fun of it didn’t we? ‘Cause no one took their winnings!

So glad we got to talk to Liz as well! Kudos for technology, no one is really far away.

Okay, so Ludo is not as short as I told you, but remember you have to listen to your elders but you do not have to heed them; you have your own guidance to rely upon.

Pappy, you look great!

Obviously you are allowing in your wellbeing and doing everything you possibly can to take care of yourself. Keep up your independence! I like that you prepare your own breakfast, wash your own laundry and make your own bed and shop for the things you want to eat.

I enjoyed playing cards with you. I know you are not too fond of the jigsaw puzzle, as I too couldn’t possibly spend so much time constructing it only to have it back in the box.

I prefer to spend my time creating things that will last a while…

I liked that everyone who came to visit added one more piece to the picture.

Keep up the crafting as long as you enjoy it. I am quite impressed with the dexterity of your hands to produce such neat work. I like that you are always occupied in something useful and fun to you.

Sheba, I shan’t forget Aladdin and the Trini Genie at the NAPA any time soon. The humor was belly busting.

I enjoyed your roomy breezy home; it is a delightful place to come home to.

You have to know that I returned for potato wedges before I left :)

The Sunday morning drive to Maracas Bay for breakfast:

Enjoying it on the beach:

Followed by a coconut water from a roadside vendor on the return journey:

Hydrangeas

Hibiscus

Ariane, so glad you came to see me girl! Besides Arshad’s vehicles, yours was the cleanest I’d ever seen – keep your car washer ;)

Oh and the Munch King coconut ice cream with a generous splash of Angostura Single Barrel Reserve is the ticket to a cool, smooth dessert. You can always add a cherry on top!

Farida, I value the time and effort it took you to taxi all the way to Tunapuna with hot breakfasts and loads of goodies for me to bring back.

I quite enjoyed your visits and seeing your family again.

Thanks also to Rishi for bringing me lunch twice and to Sandy for preparing fresh pepper sauce for me. I am blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

STOP BEING SO RELIGIOUS

STOP BEING SO RELIGIOUS

What
Do sad people have in
Common?

It seems
They have all built a shrine
To the past

And often go there
And do a strange wail and
Worship.

What is the beginning of
Happiness?

It is to stop being
So religious

Like

That.

("The Gift" - versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

A whiff of bliss

I have been doing my utmost to catch a whiff of bliss...

I am doing three things I love on a daily basis - cooking, cross-stitching and reading.

I love having the time to do all of these things which are so sacred to me.

Each one is a different form of meditation, requiring focus and attention.

All is well.

My Name Is Khan

I was inspired to watch this film today and I was not disappointed!

I loved the acting by Shahrukh Khan for this role.

This is my second feel good film of the week and I can hardly wait to see what else the Universe has in store for me.

The King's Speech.

The King's Speech is a stella movie.
It is the best acting I have ever seen. Colin Firth ought to be knighted for his role.
He is the most accomplished actor I have ever experienced.
Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, all gave great performances.
This is a deeply thoughtful movie, without all the Hollywood hyped up drama, action and deafening scores.
I have never before, enjoyed every second of a movie, as much as I enjoyed this one.
It's been a few hours now since I've seen it and I am still reliving every single scene so much so, that I do not need to see it again and yet I will.
I am very pleased to know that indeed they do make movies like they use to.

This is the best movie experience I've had ever.

Living well.

Quick, think of three people you know who are mostly pessimistic or unhappy.

What’s their quality of life?

What surprised me about this exercise was that three people immediately came to mind.

I felt delighted because it seemed natural for our relationship to drift apart, since we view the world from entirely different filters.

And you know, there is nothing wrong with that; you can continue to love and appreciate another, without having to get caught up in their personal miseries.

Physically distancing myself from all the dramas and traumas of the world, has allowed me to focus entirely upon my own happiness. This attention to what’s good and how can I feel good now is an ongoing mind training with me which has netted me a rich life.

A shift in thinking thoughts is all that’s needed to unlock the fabulous life that is ours for the taking.

Sole ownership

I have sole ownership of my vision, therefore here is what I want:

To think clearly at all times.

To keep what I want in focus.

To remember that when I focus upon what I want from a place of clarity and knowing, I will not only feel ease, but everyone else will have the best possible outcome based on their vibrations.

I get what I think about

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of the things I have been thinking about and I am very pleased with the results.

I was thinking of more fun activities to do, more friends to do it with, more great places to eat, more new places to visit, more good books and movies… more, more, more of the good life!

I went sledding for the first time over the weekend,

Discovered a fantastic new restaurant that served the best pizza I’d ever tasted.

Completed reading a most wonderful book and watched season 2 of In Treatment.

Deliberately intending what I want to think and feel is the surest way to get what I want.

This works only if you work it. What do you want?

Crazy like snow.

This is a photo of the deck from above. You can see the amount of snowfall on the table.

I am really glad I get to be indoors, where it's dry and warm.

I love watching the snow fall in the woods. It heightens my appreciation for food, clothes, fuel and shelter.

M.A.L.

This year, I am looking forward to being an eager hands-on participant of My Adventurous Life.

I know it’s going to be fantastic!

I am eager about what’s coming!

I already have evidence of it. It’s only the 1^st day of the year and it is warm and sunny outside. I have already found one thing I want to giveaway ( I did promise myself to find one thing a day).

I have a wonderful dinner date with friends tonight.

I have the most cheerful conversations with a few beloved relatives.

I am eager about working out today.

I am itching to begin reading my TBR pile of books.

I am raring to start my East Coast/West Coast road trip.

Life is good and getting better!